1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a light weight, collapsible, compact portable deer stand and more particularly, a deer stand being of unitary construction which may be carried in the form of a back pack and may be used to as a carrier to transport game.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
The use of an elevation platform is commonplace when hunting game and especially, when hunting deer. A permanently installed hunting stand or deer stand would be convenient. But on public and federal property, a permanent deer stand cannot be erected. Since many participants are not fortunate to own or rent prime hunting ground, the only option available is to utilize a portable deer stand.
Most deer stands currently available in a portable version must be carried to a hunting site and assembled prior to being erected against a tree or like object. The carrying of a disassembled stand can be quite cumbersome and can provide a great amount of discomfort to the user. Further, the assembly of some existing stands can prove to be difficult under well lit conditions and can become much more complicated when being erecting at dawn or when being dismantled at dusk when the lighting is insufficient, which is often the case. Existing stands even in their simplest form frequently produce noise during assembly with the rattle and clatter of the myriad of parts interacting with one another. This noise could possibly frighten away any game in the immediate vicinity, making your effort null and void.
Some versions require little in the way of assembly, but these stands are usually bulky and troublesome to transport. Few stands offer a provision for removing game. Hence, if one is fortunate to have killed some form of game, a decision must be drawn as to remove the carcass, leaving the stand behind to be later retrieved or to remove the stand and return later to retrieve the carcass. In either case, one assumes the risk of someone pilfering whatever you choose to leave behind. There are stands which require little by way of assembly. Some stands are compact and relatively simple to transport and some assist in the removal of the game. However, none of the existing deer stands are of a light weight unitary construction, being collapsible into a compact form, being easy to transport, being convertible into a game carrier, as well as being simple to erect and take down while at the same time producing a nominal amount of clamor throughout the process, even under poorly illuminated environmental conditions.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,336,999 issued Aug. 22, 1967 to Thad M. McSwain discloses a hunting stand which includes a ladder supporting a platform at its upper end. The platform is releasably fastened to the periphery of a tree by a toggle-type clamp. The ladder is foldable in an accordion fashion to produce a compact portable structure. The hunting stand may also be converted into a skid having a rotatably attached wheel thereon to facilitate in the removal of game.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,045,040 issued Aug. 30, 1977 to Hershell W. Fails describes a deer stand and game carrier. The deer stand includes a collapsible ladder assembly which is set up in the form of a tripod to support an elevated observation seat. In its collapsed form, the top end of the deer stand is releasably anchored to the user's back while the bottom end of the deer stand is provided with a plurality of wheels. This enables the deer stand to be pulled behind the user while leaving the user's hands free to perform other functions. The deer stand serves as a carrier to assist in the removal of a carcass.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,732 issued May 21, 1991 to Stewart A. Dunn discloses a portable observation and hunting stand having an upper and lower ladder section and a combined seat and standing platform section. The three sections are telescopically joined together and the combined seat and standing platform section is engageable with a tree or like object to form the observation and hunting stand in its erected form. The stand is collapsible in the form of a back pack and is also provided with a skid to aid in the removal of game.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.